From:
Director, RAO Baguio [raoemo@sbcglobal.net]
Sent:
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 8:42 PM
Subject:
RAO Bulletin Update 15 March 2007
RAO
Bulletin Update
15 March
2007
THIS
BULLETIN UPDATE CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES:
Mobilized
Reserve 14 MAR 07 ----------------- (Net Decrease 9,937)
Credit
Score --------------------------------------- (How to Raise)
Guard
and Reserve Personnel ------------------
(2007 Fact Sheets)
Veteran
Federal Employment [03] ------ (Vets Entitled to Hearings)
Census
Bureau Data Breach --------------------- (672 Missing Laptops)
TFL
Prior to Age 65 ---------------------- (SSA Disability Impact)
Vitamin
Supplements --------------------- (May be of no Benefit)
SSA-1099
[01] ------------------------------------- (Order Online)
Military
Health Care TF [03] ------------------
(TMC Position)
Military
Health Care TF [04] -------------------
(ROA Position)
VA Comp
Payment Disparity [07] ------------- (Disparities continue)
VA Claim
Processing Goals [03] ------- (Caseload Warnings Ignored)
VA Claim
Processing Goals [04] --------------- (House Panel Hearing)
VA
Handbook 2007 ------------------------------- (Now Available)
Veterans
Home Scam ----------------------------- (Veterans Salute Scam)
Veterans
Healthcare Empowerment Act ------- (Vets to Select Caregivers)
TF on
Combat Benefits -------------------------- (Inter-Agency)
WRAMC
[05] ------------------------------------- (Tip of the Iceberg)
Medicare
Rates 2008 ----------------------------- (Could be $109.40)
VA Data
Breach [31] --------------------- (Expect Future Incidents)
Armed
Services Committee [01] --------------- (Special Hearing)
VA
Budget 2008 [05] -------------------- (Fee Increases Rejected)
DoD
Disability Evaluation System -------------(Undergoing Overhaul)
Reserve
Reemployment Rights [03] ----------- (ESGR a Bureaucratic Mess)
CPR
-------------------------------------------------(Old and new)
Traumatic
Brain Injury [02] -------------------- (VA Program)
PTSD
[11] ---------------------------- (Related Health Problems)
TRICARE
Help While Traveling -------------- (Where to Go)
VA
Facility Expansion [04] --------------------- (
VA
Facility Expansion [03] -------------------- (
CRDP
[41]
--------------------------------------- (2007 Increase)
CNGR
Commission [02] ------------------------ (CNGR Blasts Pentagon)
Dignity
for Wounded Warriors Act -----------
(S.713 Introduced)
AFRH
[01] ------------------------ (Admission
Criteria)
Marine Det Memorial USS
How To
Make Sure You Get Your Email ---- (Bypassing Spam Filters)
Cell
Phone Tips [01] ----------------------------- (Correction)
Military
Retirement Pay Restrictions ---------- (What they are)
Military
Legislation Status 13 MAR 07 ------- (Where we stand)
MOBILIZED
RESERVE 14 MAR 07: The Army, Navy, Air
Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard announced the current number of reservists
on active duty as of 24 JAN 07 in support of the partial mobilization. The net
collective result is 9,937 fewer reservists mobilized than last reported for 24
JAN 07. Total number currently on active duty in support of the partial mobilization
for the Army National Guard and Army Reserve is 64,375; Navy Reserve 6,022; Air
National Guard and Air Force Reserve 5,307; Marine Corps Reserve 5,149; and the
Coast Guard Reserve 301. This brings the
total National Guard and Reserve personnel, who have been mobilized, to 81,407,
including both units and individual augmentees. At any given time, services may
mobilize some units and individuals while demobilizing others, making it
possible for these figures to either increase or decrease. A cumulative roster
of all National Guard and Reserve personnel, who are currently mobilized, can
be found at http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Mar2007/d20070314ngr.pdf. [Source:
DoD News Release 14 Mar 07 ++]
CREDIT
SCORE: Your credit score is a three
digit number ranging from 350 to 850.
Half of all Americans have a score above 720. The higher your credit
score the lower will be your assessed interest and fees on purchases and
loans. Your credit report generally
reflects how you have handled your credit in the last 24 months. There is no
shelf life for a score. It is recalculated every time a lender requests it. If
your 30 days late with a payment and your creditor reports it, a score in the
mid 700s can plummet more than 50 points into the checkered 600 category. Typically a low score in the 600 range can be
pulled up over time by doing the right things but it is a slow process. Your score might move up just 30 points in a
year even if you are doing the right things. Factors that will hold you back
are personal bankruptcy or more than one payment that exceeds the due date by
three months or more. You can still
build up your score; it will just take a little more time. Five ways to raise your score are:
1. Pay your bills on time. Payment history affects about 35% of your
score. To ensure timely payments set up
automatic payments online, keep stamps on hand, and maintain your budget.
2. Keep credit balances at 30% of your credit
limit or lower. Around 30% of you credit
score is based on how much credit you have access to and how much you are
using.
3. Do not cancel credit cards to up your
score. About 10% of your score is based
on how long you have held you credit cards.
4. Do not apply for too many credit cards. About 10% of your credit score is determined
by the number of times lenders request your credit reports. Lots of requests
might indicate you are desperate for credit and might be headed for trouble, or
are already there.
5. Watch the kinds of credit you use. About 10%of your score is based on the types
of credit you are using. Secured loans such as car loans and mortgages, or
unsecured loans such as student loans and credit cards. Unsecured loans are considered riskier in
your credit report.
According
to the Public Interest Research Group one out of four credit reports contain a
serious error that could lower your score and/or could stop you from getting a
loan, or one with the best terms. You
should check your report for outdated data, paid-off loans listed as due, or
money owed by someone with a similar name to yours. It can easily take up to six months to get an
error fixed. Never using credit can actually hurt you because you have no
record to rate. [Source: USAA Magazine
Kerry Hanon article Winter 06 ++]
GUARD
AND RESERVE PERSONNEL: The
• Drill Pay Chart
• Personnel Services Delivery transformation
• Reserve Force Development
• Officer promotions
• Officer performance reports
• Enlisted promotions
• Enlisted performance reports
• Reserve assignments
• Reserve categories
• Finding new assignments
• Activation of individual reservists
• Retired Reserve
• Retirement point valuation
• Retired pay formula
• Age 60 retirement benefits
• Space-A travel
• Veterans benefits
• Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan
• Survivor benefits
• Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance
• SGLI coverage for families
• Veterans' Group Life Insurance
• Thrift Savings Plan
• DEERS
• Tricare
• Entitlements
• Survivor benefits tables
• VSI/SSB
• Ready Reference AFIs/manu
[Source:
Military Report 12 Mar 07 ++]
VETERAN FEDERAL
EMPLOYMENT UPDATE 03: A recent federal
appeals court ruling held that veterans who allege discrimination in government
employment because of their military service are legally entitled to a hearing. In Kirkendall v.
Department of the Army, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that these
veterans have a statutory right to a hearing from the Merit Systems Protection
Board. That right comes from the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment
Rights Act (USERRA), a law that protects veterans from discrimination resulting
from their military service. In its decision, the court criticized the manner
in which MSPB has denied hearings with no explanation. "Until now, it has
been the board's practice to grant hearings as a matter of administrative
grace, or deny one at its convenience," wrote Haldane Robert Mayer, a
judge for the appeals court. "But it must administer the law as Congress
wrote it. The board's consistent misapplication of the law can neither be used
to defend its practice; nor to justify what Congress did not intend."
The case dates back to 1999 when Kirkendall, a disabled veteran with organic brain syndrome,
a general disease in which a physical disorder causes decreased mental
function, applied for a position as a supervisory equipment specialist with the
Army at Fort Bragg, N.C. Kirkendall's service and
resulting disability entitled him to a 10-point preference for the position.
But in early 2000, the Army found that Kirkendall's
application lacked sufficient detail on his experience and rated him ineligible
for the position, offering it to another 10-point preference eligible veteran. Kirkendall filed several complaints with the Army
contesting his ineligibility, but all of them were denied. He then filed a
complaint with the Labor Department, which also rejected his claim because it
was not filed within 60 days of the Army's alleged violation as required by
law. In 2002, Kirkendall appealed to the MSPB. The
MSPB administrative judge dismissed Kirkendall's
claim on the grounds that it was untimely and that the Army selected another
qualified and 10-point eligible veteran for the position. Kirkendall
then appealed the board's decision to the federal circuit court.
According to a judge advocate in the Naval
Reserve, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, many of the cases brought
before the MSPB are pro se, meaning the claimants represent themselves without
a lawyer. The source said MSPB often views these cases as less serious, and as
a result, not worthy of a hearing.
Matthew Tully, the founding partner of the
Tully
has represented hundreds of current and former federal employees in similar
cases, though he did not represent John Kirkendall. Tully said the appeals court decision offers
a "huge advantage" to veterans who cannot afford legal
representation, especially because it allows veterans the ability to
cross-examine their supervisors. He said the newly established right to
cross-examine will make it much easier for veterans to win discrimination
cases. Tully also said he hopes the
ruling will encourage more training for federal managers on USERRA law. He said
many federal managers are trained solely on Equal Employment Opportunity law
and very little on USERRA, though the penalties for denying rights under both
laws are almost equally harsh. "There doesn't seem to be any system in
place in the federal government about USERRA," Tully said. "The
publicity [from] this case will help educate people about its importance."
[Source: GOVEXEC.com Daily Briefing
Brittany R. Ballenstedt article 12 Mar 07 ++]
CENSUS
BUREAU DATA BREACH: The Census Bureau
this week announced that it accidentally posted personal information concerning
302 American households on a Web site where it was publicly accessible
intermittently for about five months. Bureau Director Charles Louis Kincannon said in a statement that as soon as agency
officials learned of the improper posting, they shut the site down and started
an investigation. The information did not include Social Security numbers, and
bureau officials have no evidence that it was misused. Officials discovered the
file on 15 FEB. It had been uploaded onto one of the Census Bureau’s externally
accessible servers, and contained names, addresses, phone numbers, birthdates,
family income ranges and other demographic data for the 302 households. This
information was mixed in with 250 fictitious test records. The information was
posted multiple times between October and February to test new software
applications. This site is typically used to make large public-use files
available. The bureau said the public nature of the information and the
mingling of actual data and test records make it unlikely it would have been
useful to the casual user or someone with malicious intent. The bureau is in
the process of notifying those affected and offering assistance with credit
monitoring.
Census law prohibits the disclosure of
sensitive data, and the bureau has strict policies protecting it. These
prohibit the uploading of data to a nonsecure Web
site, bureau officials said. The employees who posted the information also
failed to follow a required review process to avoid placing confidential
information on the agency’s Web site, the bureau stated. Census officials
said,” Appropriate administrative action” has been taken against those
employees, pending the results of the investigation. The matter has also been
referred to the inspector general for the Commerce Department, of which the
Census Bureau is a part. Over the past 10 months, federal agencies have
reported dozens of incidents of exposing sensitive personal information—such as
Social Security numbers and dates of birth—on millions of people. In SEP 06,
Commerce released date [www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0906/092206p1.htm] showing the
Census Bureau reported 672 missing laptops over the last five years, of which
246 contained some degree of personal data. The agency employs a large number
of temporary workers to conduct field work. Census employees will receive
additional training on the proper handling of survey responses and telework policies. Despite Census’ recent problems, the Ponemon Institute, a group that advocates responsible
information and privacy management practices in business and government, named
the bureau as one of the top agencies in terms of protecting privacy in a
report released last month. [Source: GOVEXEC.com Daily Briefing Dainiel Pulliam article 9 Mar 07 ++]
TFL
PRIOR TO AGE 65: The Tricare program is
essentially a modernized and upgraded version of the program called CHAMPUS
from 1966 until 1995. To a great extent, they are the same program. Tricare is governed by the same law (now
amended) as CHAMPUS was in 1966. Before 1 OCT 01, all Tricare beneficiaries
lost their Tricare eligibility automatically if they became entitled to
Medicare Part A at age 65, even if they were enrolled in Part B. That was a
result of the 1966 law that created CHAMPUS as an interim program. Congress
never intended CHAMPUS to provide lifetime coverage. It was intended to provide
health care coverage between the young age when most uniformed service members
retire and when they become entitled to Medicare at age 65. That changed when Tricare for Life began on 1
OCT 01. For the first time, Tricare beneficiaries could retain their Tricare
eligibility after gaining Medicare coverage at age 65. They were required to
enroll in Part B of Medicare in order to do that.
Active-duty family members, as well as
retirees and their families, were treated differently by the 1966 CHAMPUS law.
Their benefits were described in two separate sections of the law. The 1966 law
provides that a CHAMPUS beneficiary who becomes entitled to Part A of Medicare
at any age or for any reason may not retain CHAMPUS eligibility. There was no
mention of a Part B enrollment requirement in the original legislation. It was
not until 1991 that Congress amended that provision of the 1966 law to allow a
beneficiary of Medicare Part A to retain CHAMPUS eligibility, provided he was
enrolled also in Part B of Medicare. With that amendment, a CHAMPUS beneficiary
who became disabled, as defined by Medicare law and regulations, could have
Medicare parts A and B, plus CHAMPUS. Such people were initially referred to as
dual eligibles. There was no “CHAMPUS for Life”. With the subsequent advent of
the Tricare for Life (TFL) program it was decided to refer to them as TFL
members even though it is possible they could recover from their disability and
revert back to ordinary Tricare status. As it stands now, a Tricare beneficiary
who qualifies for Medicare disability benefits has exactly the same coverage as
the person entitled to Medicare because he has reached age 65. However, the
legal requirement for Medicare Part B enrollment still stands for all but
active-duty family members. Thus:
- A retiree or a retiree family member who
becomes entitled to Medicare because of disability is eligible for Tricare for
Life, provided he is enrolled in Medicare Part B.
- A disabled active-duty family member
becomes eligible for Tricare for Life in the same way, but without the
requirement for enrolling in Part B.
Under Social Security rules an individual
who becomes disabled and is unable to work can draw social security benefits
upon approval of their application. At that point they would retain their
previous Tricare status and be subject to any associated deductibles and copays for their medical care. If after two years they are
still unable to work they can apply for Medicare Part B and upon approval
become eligible for TFL provided they have updated their DEERS status. At that point Medicare will cover 80% of most
medical expenses and TFL would pick up the balance. For services that are covered by Medicare and
not by Tricare (such as chiropractic care) Tricare will not make a payment and
the beneficiary will be responsible.
Services covered by Tricare but not Medicare (such as overseas claims)
should be billed directly to Wisconsin Physicians Services (WPS) and Tricare
will pay as primary insurer with beneficiaries responsible for any cost shares.
Payments for services that are not covered by either program remain individuals
sole responsibility. TFL beneficiaries may continue to use any of the Tricare
pharmacy programs. Prescriptions can be filled at any military treatment
facility pharmacy, through the Tricare Mail Order Pharmacy (TMOP) or through
any Tricare network or non-network pharmacy. As is the case with those who
become eligible for Tricare for Life because of age, only the beneficiary will
be affected by transition from ordinary Tricare to TFL. Their family’s Tricare
eligibility will not be affected in any way.
[Source: Tricare Help, Times News Service James Hamby article 12 Mar 07
++]
VITAMIN
SUPPLEMENTS: People seeking to improve
their health with vitamin supplements may want to think twice before popping
pills containing vitamin A, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. New research suggests
that these antioxidants may actually increase the risk of death by 5% according
to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Antioxidant supplements are popular among
consumers based on studies claiming that antioxidants improve health and
prevent disease. But other reviews and guidelines suggest that antioxidant supplements
may be of no benefit. Researchers searched the medical literature through 2005
to identify trials involving adult subjects comparing beta-carotene, vitamin A,
vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium, singly or combined, versus inactive
"placebo" or versus no treatment. Their search turned up 68 trials
with 232,606 participants. When all
trials were considered:
- There was no convincing evidence that
antioxidant supplements have beneficial effects on overall death rate.
- In 47 trials with 180,938 participants, the
antioxidant supplements significantly increased the death rate.
- Beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E
given singly or combined with other antioxidant supplements significantly
increase mortality.
- The potential roles of vitamin C and
selenium on mortality need further study.
- Considering that 10% to 20% of the adult
population in North America and
- Because the study examined only the influence
of synthetic antioxidants, its findings should not be applied to the potential
effects of eating fruits and vegetables.
[Source:
Journal of the American Medical Association, 28 Feb 07 ++]
SSA-1099
UPDATE 01: An SSA-1099 Benefit Statement
is mailed to you in January showing the total amount of benefits you received
in the previous year. If you are a nonresident alien who received or repaid
Social Security benefits last year, you will receive an SSA-1042S instead.
People who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) do not receive Benefit
Statements, since SSI is based on need and is not considered taxable income.
You can request online a copy of your most recent SSA-1099/1042S for yourself
or on behalf of a deceased beneficiary if you are receiving benefits on the
same record as the deceased at www.socialsecurity.gov/onlineservices.
A copy of your SSA-1099/1042S will arrive in the mail in about 10 days (30 days
if you live outside the
MILITARY
HEALTH CARE TF UPDATE 03: On 7 MAR
Military Coalition (TMC) representing more than 30 service organizations
presented the Coalition's health care views and objectives to the Task Force on
the Future of Military Health Care. Representatives from the Military Officers
Association of America, Fleet Reserve Association, National Military Family
Association, the Retired Enlisted Association, National Association for
Uniformed Services, and Reserve Officers Association were present for
testimony. The majority of the Coalition members could not accept DoD arguments
that fees had to be increased to restore government/beneficiary cost
relationships from the 1990s. MOAA's director of government relations Col Steve Strobridge (USAF-Ret), noted that much of DoD's cost growth
has been driven by the government's own decisions that beneficiaries had no
control over. As for Pentagon arguments
that fees need to be doubled and tripled now because there have been no increases
since 1995, he said that ignores the flip side of the coin. He pointed out that there are plenty of
military compensation elements that are set at flat rates and adjusted only
occasionally. He also told the Task
Force that the same population being targeted for higher Tricare fees has
already suffered an average loss of 10% of retired pay because military pay
raises were capped below the average American's throughout the 1980s and '90s.
The other Coalition witnesses agreed, and
added their own objections to the DoD plan.
The Fleet Reserve Association's Joe Barnes highlighted five principles
endorsed by The Military Coalition that:
Members
on active duty and their families should pay no fees other than retail and
mail-order pharmacy copays except to the extent they
choose to use Tricare Standard.
- Tricare fees should not rise in any year by
a percentage that exceeds the percentage growth in their military compensation.
- The Tricare Standard inpatient copay ($535
per day) should not be increased in the foreseeable future, as it already
exceeds the amount charged by most other plans.
- There should be no enrollment fee for
Tricare Standard, since Standard does not provide assured access to a
TRICARE-participating provider.
- There should be one fee schedule for all
Tricare beneficiaries, just as all legislators, defense leaders, and federal
civilians have a single fee structure, and it should be significantly lower
than the lowest schedule envisioned in the DoD proposal.
Although
a member of the TMC, the Reserve Officers Association did not concur with the
Coalition and presented independent testimony as noted in Update 04. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 9 Mar 07 ++]
MILITARY
HEALTH CARE TF UPDATE 04: On 7 MAR
Military Coalition (TMC) representatives from the Military Officers Association
of America (MOAA), Fleet Reserve Association (FRA), National Military Family
Association (NMFA), the Retired Enlisted Association (TREA), National
Association for Uniformed Services (NAUS), and Reserve Officers Association
(ROA) presented their health care views and objectives to the Task Force on the
Future of Military Health Care. The ROA
provided the Task force with a slightly different viewpoint than the rest of the
TMC. As indicated on their website their
position is as follows:
- A moratorium on fee increases be continued
to allow the Task Force for the Future of Military Health Care and Congress
time to review this action.
- Any changes to the beneficiary cost share
should be phased in. The 2-year period proposed by DOD is too abrupt.
- Tricare Prime enrollment fee adjustments
are acceptable if tied to true health care costs. It is important to review an
independently evaluation of the current total cost of DoD health care
benefits. Such an audit will permit
Congress to validate proposals made by all parties. Any cost-sharing
adjustments should be spread over at least five years to permit household
budgets to adjust. Annual increases
should not be tied to the market-driven Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan
(FEHBP).
- ROA is not in favor of Tricare Standard
annual enrollment fee for either DoD or VA beneficiaries. If Tricare Standard
requires beneficiary enrollment, it should be only a one-time minimal
administrative fee. Adjustments to Tricare Standard should be made to the
deductible. Because of larger co-payments of 25% after the deductible, the
costs of TRICARE standard must be analyzed from a total cost rather than
initial cost perspective. Presently,
Tricare Standard’s cost deductible automatically adjusts with escalating health
care costs.
- Tricare Standard overseas retires over 65
pay for both Tricare Standard and Medicare Part “B”. This form of double charge needs to be
examined along with other fee discussions.
- TRS should not be included in any TRICARE
Standard Fee increase. Family Premiums and deductible for a Tier I TRS
operational Reservist are $3,336 per year for CY2007 compared to a proposed
combined cost of $1,120 for TRICARE Standard in FY2008. This is inequitable. .
- Tricare standard deductible increases
should not be rolled over into TRS as Reservists pay more upfront.
ROA
position regarding Tricare Reserve Select (TRS) was:
- Request a study as to why there is such a
high drop during application to TRS.
- Allow a seamless transition between TRS,
TRICARE and back.
- Improve the process and education for
application to TRS.
- Continue to improve health care continuity
to all drilling Reservists and their families by allowing demobilized
Reservists involuntarily returning to IRR tier I TRS coverage, allowing
demobilized Retirees to qualify for tier I TRS coverage, and allowing
demobilized FEHBP eligible to qualify for tier I TRS coverage.
- Extend military coverage for restorative
dental care following deployment as a means to insure dental readiness for
future mobilization.
- Advocate that physicians who accept
Medicare must accept TRICARE.
- Allow Gray area retiree buy-in to TRS.
- Include an Employer health care option as
an additional option to TRS subsidized by DoD.
On
Pharmacy ROA believes higher retail pharmacy co-payments should not apply on
initial prescriptions, but on maintenance refills only. ROA supports DoD
efforts to enhance the mail-order prescription benefit and identified an
overseas Tricare Mail Order Pharmacy catch-22.
While the Tricare system approves overseas licensed doctors to provide
service and insure quality in foreign country it doesn’t recognize these same
doctors to write prescriptions that are accepted by TMOP. As no one can use the TMOP outside of the
VA COMP
PAYMENT DISPARITY UPDATE 07: An analysis
by The New York Times has found that veterans face serious inequities in
compensation for disabilities depending on where they live and whether they
were on active duty or were members of the National Guard or the Reserve. Those
factors determine whether some soldiers wait nearly twice as long to get
benefits from the DVA as others, and collect less money, according to VA figures. The agency said it was trying to ease the
backlog and address disparities by hiring more claims workers, authorizing more
overtime and adding claims development centers. The problems partly stem from
the their inability to prepare for predictable surges in demand from certain
states or certain categories of service members, say advocates and former
department officials. Numerous government reports have highlighted the backlog
of disability claims and called for improvements in shifting resources. Veterans’ advocates say the types of
bureaucratic obstacles recently disclosed at
The influx of veterans from the
The department expects to receive about
800,000 new claims in 2007 and 2008 each. The growing strains on the veterans
agency have affected some soldiers more than others. While the Reserve and
National Guard have sent a disproportionate number of soldiers to the war, the
average annual disability payment for those troops is $3,603, based on 2006 VA
data for unmarried veterans with no dependents. Active-duty soldiers on average
receive $4,962. Though the VA acknowledged that there were discrepancies,
officials also said they believed that a significant factor might be length of
service. Active-duty soldiers generally serve longer, and therefore more suffer
from chronic diseases or disabilities that develop over time. Many who served
in the Guard think they are losing the battle against the bureaucracy. It is alleged that while active-duty soldiers
often receive medical disability evaluations in about 30 days, many reservists
wait two years or more to get an initial appointment. Active-duty personnel
also routinely received legal advice about appeals and other issues from
military lawyers, while reservists have to request those hearings.
For years, the VA’s inspector general, the
GAO, members of Congress and veterans’ advocates have pointed out the need to
improve how the VA tracks data on soldiers as they are deployed and when they
are injured. That would help prepare for their future needs and ease delays in
processing health and benefit claims. In 2004, a system was designed to track
soldiers better, prepare for surges in demand and avoid backlogs. But the
system was shelved by program officials under Secretary Jim Nicholson for
financial and logistical reasons according to VA officials. The VA, which has said it has an alternate
tracking system nearly operational, depends on paper files and lacks the
ability to download Department of Defense records into its computers. President
Bush has appointed a commission to investigate problems at military and
veterans hospitals.
Dr. David S. C. Chu, the defense
undersecretary for personnel and readiness, recently said he is not surprised
that servicemembers get different disability ratings from each of the services,
the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Social Security Administration. Each
system has fundamentally different approaches to the basis on which you should
rate the individual. They are three
different systems governed by their own sets of laws and rate disabilities using
scales unique to each department. Appearing before the House Armed Services
Committee on March 8, Dr. Chu expressed confidence that, with legislative
support, the system could be fixed. DOD currently is revising its disability
evaluation system. Each service manages its own evaluation process within the
framework of the DOD system. In fiscal
2006, service eligibility board caseloads were 13,162 for the Army; 5,684 for
the naval services; and 4,139 for the Air Force. In 2001, the numbers were
7,218 for the Army; 4,999 for the naval services; and 2,816 in the Air Force.
[Source:
VA CLAIM
PROCESSING GOALS UPDATE 03: A former
Veterans Affairs official testifying before a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee
panel 8 MAR said he the department as early as AUG 05 of backlogs in the VA
health care system but officials instead shelved a program aimed at alleviating
delays. Paul Sullivan, a former project manager for the VA, told the panel
investigating veterans care that he helped develop a program to consolidate
medical records with DoD but that the program suddenly ended once Secretary Jim
Nicholson took office in late 2005. Sullivan also said he sent e-mails on
several occasions warning of a surge in claims from veterans returning from
Lawmakers from both parties expressed
outrage. Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) who chairs the subcommittee said, “That’s
unacceptable and embarrassing, and the American people deserve answers. I am
not convinced the Veterans Affairs Department is doing its part.” Rep. Steve
Buyer (R-IN) agreed, citing years of warnings. “I can’t even begin to count the
number of GAO reports over the years outlining the problems,” he said. “It’s
been 20 years in the making trying to get the VA and DoD to cooperate.”
Responding, Michael Kussman, acting under secretary
for health at the VA, told the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee that it was
wrong to suggest that Nicholson had shelved the program. The decision to
abandon Sullivan’s plan was made by program officials who determined it was
logistically unsound. Since then,
department officials have been working on a system to improve tracking of medical
records, he said. Under questioning, Kussman also acknowledged that the department was a bit
“surprised” by the extent of reported cases of post-traumatic stress syndrome
(PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) but were making adjustments to cope.
“We are ideally poised to take care of” the growing caseload, he said. That
drew an angry response from Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) who said, “I find that kind
of misplaced optimism, that defense of the system, a cause of where we are
today,” noting that VA officials in individual clinics themselves had reported
an overstressed system.
Thursday’s hearing was the latest to
examine the quality of care for wounded veterans in the wake of disclosures of
shoddy outpatient health care at Walter Reed, one of the nation’s premier
facilities for treating veterans wounded in
In testimony 6 MAR before a joint hearing
of the House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees, the national commander
Gary Kurpius of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the
VA CLAIM
PROCESSING GOALS UPDATE 04:
Investigators said 13 MAR that the Veterans Affairs’ system for handling
disability claims is strained to its limit, and the Bush administration’s
current efforts to relieve backlogs won’t be enough to serve veterans returning
from Iraq and Afghanistan,.
In
testimony to a House panel, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and
Harvard professor Linda Bilmes detailed their study
into the VA’s claims system in light of growing demands created by wars. They
found a system on the verge of crisis due to backlogs, cumbersome paperwork and
ballooning costs. Daniel Bertoni, an acting director
at the GAO, Congress’ investigative arm, said the VA system has been riddled
with problems for years. “After more than a decade of research, we have
determined that federal disability programs are in urgent need of attention and
transformation.” According to GAO’s
findings, the VA:
• Took between 127 to 177 days to process an
initial claim and an average of 657 days to process an appeal, resulting in
significant hardship to veterans. In contrast, the private sector industry
takes about 89.5 days to process a claim.
• Had a claims backlog of roughly 600,000.
• Will see 638,000 new first-time claims in
the next five years due to the
• Maintained a system for determining a
veteran’s disability that was complex and applied inconsistently across
regional centers. Results varied; for example,
• Had antiquated technology for processing
claims, such as unreliable old fax machines.
Bilmes, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government who
co-authored a paper on the war’s economic costs with Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, described a failed system that could have been
prevented after years of warnings. She urged simplifying the disability ratings
system, reducing time VA staffers spend documenting disabilities, and
conducting random audits instead. “The veterans returning from
Responding, Ronald Aument,
deputy under secretary for benefits at the VA, told the House panel that the
department was working to shorten delays. The VA also was consolidating some
processing operations, and planned to add 400 new employees by the end of
June. The findings drew fire from House
members. Rep. John Hall, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs subcommittee on
disability assistance, floated the possibility that the Veterans Affairs
Department should be merged into the Defense Department. Colorado Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) , said the overstressed claims system was
courting a “financial and potentially emotional disaster.” The hearing follows
disclosures of roach-infested conditions and shoddy outpatient care at
VA
HANDBOOK 2007: A new edition of the
Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents handbook by the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) has been released.
It updates the rates for certain federal payments and outlines a variety
of programs and benefits for American veterans. Most of the nation's 25 million veterans
qualify for some VA benefits, which range from health care to burial in a
national cemetery. In addition to
health-care and burial benefits, veterans may be eligible for programs
providing home loan guaranties, educational assistance, training and vocational
rehabilitation, income assistance pensions, life insurance and compensation for service-connected
illnesses or disabilities. In some
cases, survivors of veterans may also be entitled to benefits. The handbook describes programs for veterans
with specific service experiences, such as prisoners of war or those concerned
about environmental exposures in
VETERANS
HOME SCAM: The U.S. Department of
Veterans’ Affairs Regional Office in
VET
CEMETERY
Rotar expects to keep up that pace for months, with as many as a dozen
burials six days a week. veteran community can contact the cemetery staff at
(561) 649-6489 for information about burial and eligibility. More than 700
families are holding cremated remains or planning to move their loved ones from
other cemeteries to South Florida National. So many that the VA will not add
new names to the waiting list until after 9 APR. Service and burial scheduling
for new national cemeteries will be handled by a centralized VA system in
The first burials in the 50-acre “fast
track” section near the cemetery entrance off U.S. 441, which has room for
about 10,000 in-ground and cremated remains, were pushed back last year from
this spring to late summer because of wet weather stalling site preparation.
But Rotar said that when he came on board in January,
VA officials told him to scramble and make an April deadline. “The feeling was
the veterans were asking for it to open and had been waiting a long time,” said
Rotar, who previously was director of
The 130 families seeking to move already
buried remains to South Florida National will have to pay for the relocation,
which can cost as much as several thousand dollars. The 570 others on the
waiting list, with cremated remains, can bring their urns or boxes to the
cemetery themselves. The VA does the burial and provides a gravesite, a marker,
a grave liner and a military honor guard at no charge. South Florida National
is the fifth VA cemetery in
-
-
-
-
[Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel Diane C. Lade
article 8 Mar 07 ++]
VETERANS
HEALTHCARE EMPOWERMENT ACT: Expressing
strong confidence in the current healthcare system run by the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs, the Ranking Member of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
(SCVA) U.S. Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) said 8 MAR that he is willing to see how
the system might fare in competition with the free market. Under legislation he
is introducing - The Veterans Healthcare Empowerment Act - veterans with
service connected disabilities will be able to go to any hospital or medical
clinic of their choice. “Many of my colleagues have spent the past week or so
accusing VA of ‘failing’ our injured service-members. Most of their evidence is
based on reports from the news media who have highlighted recently a number of
veterans who were treated badly by VA or who do not have faith in VA’s care. I
take these concerns very seriously. But, I am also a little frustrated by it,”
said Craig. “That’s why I will introduce legislation that says: If you have a service- connected disability,
go wherever you want. No strings. No ifs, ands, or buts. Let’s find out where
veterans chose to go.”
Approximately 2.5 million veterans have
service connected disabilities and approximately 1.7 million currently use the
VA healthcare system. VA operates 154 hospitals and 881 outpatient
clinics. Craig’s healthcare bill would
operate somewhat like the G.I. Bill, which allows veterans to choose the
college or university of their choice. “It’s very simple, if service-connected
veterans leave in droves, we’ve learned something. But, if veterans
overwhelmingly stay, and I think they will, we’ve also learned something,”
Craig said. “This bill is about my confidence in VA.” The senior senator from
Idaho noted that VA’s health care system has consistently been ranked as among
the best in the nation. For the seventh year in a row, a study conducted by the
VA’s health care system outscored the private sector in the University of
Michigan’s Consumer Satisfaction Survey
- VA outscored the private sector by 11
percent in inpatient care (84 to 73%)
- VA outscored them in outpatient care by 11%
(82 to 71%)
- 91% of VA patients were satisfied with the
overall customer service at VA
- VA also scored 94% in “veterans loyalty”
category
Other
national publications have also touted VA’s healthcare system. Last year Time Magazine had a front page
article titled “How VA Hospitals Became the best Health Care?” and Business
Week called VA healthcare The Best Medical Care In The U.S.” more recently
Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government awarded VA it’s “Innovations
in American Government award” for the electronic health record and performance
system.” The SCVA regularly releases News Release of interest to veterans via
their website http://veterans.senate.gov/. [Source: SCVA Press Release 8 Mar 07 ++]
VET
CEMETERY ILLINOIS:: The Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a construction contract for more than $10
million to a Chicago contractor to expand the Rock Island IL, National
Cemetery. The expansion project encompasses approximately 25 acres and will
provide more than 7,000 gravesites, including casket gravesites, pre-placed
crypts and a columbarium for cremation remains.
It will also provide a new committal service shelter, an assembly area,
public restrooms, an information building, a maintenance area, and additions
and renovations to the administration building.
New and renovated infrastructure features for water distribution, roads
and utilities are included. VA expects
to begin construction within approximately one month and to be completed by
late 2008. The expansion will permit
burials for veterans and eligible family members to continue at Rock Island
National Cemetery for at least the next decade. Contact info on the Rock Island
National Cemetery is Bldg 118, Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, IL 61299 Tel:
(309) 782-2094/2097F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/rockisland.asp.
Illinois’
other six national cemeteries are:
- Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery (near
Chicago) 27034 South Diagonal Road, Elwood, IL 60421 Tel: (815) 423-9958/5824F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/abrahamlincoln.asp
- Danville National Cemetery, 721 Lee Street,
Danville, VA 24541 Tel: (704) 636-2661/1115F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/danvilleva.asp.
- Camp Butler National Cemetery, 5063 Camp
Butler Road, Springfield, IL 62707 Tel:
(217) 492 – 4070/4072F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/campbutler.asp.
- Mound City National Cemetery, HWY Junction
37 & 51, Mound City, IL 62963 Tel: (314) 260-8691 or (800) 535-1117 or
(314) 260-8723F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/moundcity.asp.
- Quincy National Cemetery, 36th and Maine
Street, Quincy, IL 62301 Tel: (309) 782-2094/2097F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/quincy.asp.
- Alton National Cemetery, 600 Pearl Street,
Alton, IL 62003 Tel: (314) 260-8691 or (800) 535-1117 or (314) 260-8723F www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/alton.asp.
Abraham
Lincoln, Danville, Camp Butler and Mound City national cemeteries have space
available for casketed and cremated remains.
Alton has space available for cremated remains and can accommodate
casketed remains in the gravesites of previously interred family members. Quincy is closed to new interments, but can
bury family members in existing gravesites.
In the midst of the largest cemetery
expansion since the Civil War to care for the aging veterans population, VA
operates 124 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers'
lots and monument sites. More than three
million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in
VA national cemeteries. Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable,
their spouses and eligible dependent children can be buried in a national
cemetery. Other burial benefits
available for all eligible veterans, regardless of whether they are buried in a
national or private cemetery, include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial
Certificate, and a government headstone or marker. Information on VA burial
benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the Internet at
http://www.cem.va.gov, or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 1(800)
827-1000. [Source: VA News Release 23 Feb 07 ++]
VET
CEMETERY MINNESOTA:: The Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a construction contract for more than $19
million to a Minnesota contractor to expand the Fort Snelling
National Cemetery located at 7601 34th Avenue, South, Minneapolis, MN
55450-1199 Tel: (612) 726-1127/725-2059F. Sheehy
Construction Company of St. Paul wil be developing
approximately 25,000 gravesites, including graves with pre-placed crypts, and a
columbarium for cremation remains. The
expansion project encompasses nearly 60 acres.
Besides burial space, it will include renovations and additions to the
administration building, public information building and maintenance facility. New committal service shelters, signage, site
furnishings, fencing and landscaping will also be included. VA expects construction to be completed by
late 2009. The expansion will permit
burials for veterans and eligible family members to continue at Fort Snelling National Cemetery for at least the next decade.
For additional info regarding this cemetery refer to www.cem.va.gov/CEM/cems/nchp/ftsnelling.asp.
Eligible veterans or their dependents can
also elect to be buried in the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery located at
15550 Hwy 115, Little Falls, MN 56345 Tel:
(320) 616-2527/2529F. Eligibility for burial is the same as the
guidelines followed at Ft. Snelling National
Cemetery. Members of the National Guard or Reserve forces are not eligible
unless they meet current regulations, which are:
- Death while on active duty for training.
- Death under honorable conditions while
hospitalized or undergoing treatment at the expense of the United States for
injury or disease incurred while performing active duty for training.
- Any individual who, at the time of death,
was entitled to retired pay as a result of non-regular service or would have
been entitled to retired pay for credible non-regular service (20 years), but
for the fact the person was not at least 60 years of age, is eligible for
burial.
For
questions or additional information on this facility refer to
dswantek@uslink.net or www.mdva.state.mn.us/cemetery.htm
In the midst of the largest cemetery
expansion since the Civil War to serve for the aging veterans’ population, VA
operates 124 national cemeteries in 39 states and Puerto Rico and 33 soldiers'
lots and monument sites. More than three
million Americans, including veterans of every war and conflict, are buried in
VA’s national cemeteries. Veterans with a discharge other than dishonorable,
their spouses and eligible dependent children can be buried in a national
cemetery. Other burial benefits
available for all eligible veterans, regardless of whether they are buried in a
national or a private cemetery, include a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial
Certificate and a government headstone or marker. Information on VA burial
benefits can be obtained from national cemetery offices, from the Internet at
http://www.cem.va.gov, or by calling VA regional offices toll-free at 1(800)
827-1000. For information on the Fort Snelling
National Cemetery, call the cemetery office at (612) 726-1127. [Source: VA News Release 28 Feb 07 ++]
TF ON
COMBAT BENEFITS: President Bush has
created a special, inter-agency task force under the leadership of Secretary of
Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson to thoroughly examine and cut through red tape
affecting the latest generation of combat veterans seeking services and
benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or any other federal
agency. Called the “Task Force on Returning Global War on Terror Heroes,” the
panel held its first meeting 7 MAR. The
task force consists of the secretaries of Defense, Labor, Health and Human
Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Education, plus the administrator
of the Small Business Administration and the director of the Office of
Management and Budget. Nicholson said. “This task force will identify ways to
cut red tape and ease the transition back home for our combat troops,
especially our wounded heroes. They
deserve less hassle and more action from their government, and that will
continue to be our focus.” Under the terms of the executive order creating the
task force, the group has 45 days to:
• Identify and examine existing federal
services that currently are provided to returning Global War on Terror service
members;
• Identify existing gaps in such services;
• Seek recommendations from appropriate
federal agencies on ways to fill those gaps; and
• Ensure that appropriate federal agencies
are communicating and cooperating effectively.”
Executive
secretary of the task force is retired Rear Adm. Patrick W. Dunne, VA’s assistant secretary for policy
and planning. Matt Smith, special
assistant to Secretary Nicholson, will serve as the task force’s senior
advisor. [Source: VA News Release 7 Mar 07 ++]
WRAMC
UPDATE 05: Before recent exposés, the
Pentagon called Walter Reed Army Medical Center the shining example of how the
nation should treat its wounded soldiers. If this was the model, veterans are
in deep trouble. The deplorable conditions uncovered at Walter Reed have
brought complaints from veterans and their families across the country. Washington Post reporter Dana Priest, who
broke the story, says the newspaper has received thousands of reports of
similar problems at hospitals and medical facilities throughout the Veterans
Affairs system. Only the naive and the Pentagon brass would believe that Walter
Reed was an isolated case. Incredibly, despite the rising numbers of those who
will need care, the White House is proposing a VA budget that is essentially
flat from last year. The administration wants to cut money for prosthetic
research and provide inadequate financing for the backlog of cases that only
will grow. Yet on 27 FEB, Mr. Bush called on Congress to “fund our war
fighters.”
Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary
Jim Nicholson has compounded the administration’s indifference with insulting
rhetoric. Asked about the 200,000-plus who have tried to get care, Mr.
Nicholson says, “A lot of them come in for dental problems.” Mr. Nicholson
isn’t the only one who first underestimated reaction to the disclosures. On 1
MAR, Defense Secretary Robert Gates fired Maj. Gen. George Weightman
as commander of Walter Reed. But Mr. Gates replaced him with Army Surgeon
General Lt. Gen. Kevin Kiley. According
to the Post, Gen. Kiley was warned about outpatient problems at Building 18
three years ago but never walked across the street to look. On 2 MAR, Gen.
Kiley was out, and so was Frances Harvey, secretary of the Army. The House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating the role
privatization may have played in the breakdown. The management staff at Walter
Reed was cut from 300 to fewer than 60 this year. Chairman Henry Waxman [D-CA]
wants to know why the Pentagon awarded a five-year, $120 million contract for
support services at the center to IAP Worldwide Services, a Florida firm run by
two former Halliburton executives, one of them a retired Army general. To hire
IAP, the Army reversed its own findings that federal employees could do the
work for less
Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL, has raised
questions about care at a Tampa veterans hospital, where active-duty trauma
patients are treated, during a Senate Armed Services Committee grilling of top
defense officials about problems at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The James
A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa is one of four VA hospitals in the country
that specialize in traumatic brain injury (TBI) who handle veterans and
active-duty military. Nelson said there have been delays in getting
rehabilitation for troops with brain injuries -- sometimes postponing care
until the patient is moved from active duty to veteran status. Nelson cited a
report showing that at model hospitals the delay in starting rehabilitation was
slightly more than two weeks, but for the VA it was six weeks. Carolyn Clark,
spokeswoman for the James A. Haley facility, disagreed with Nelson's conclusions,
saying the hospital provides state-of-the-art care for traumatic brain-injury
patients.
The Senate committee's hearing was
Congress' second in two days on Walter Reed. Reports of wounded troops battling
excessive red tape and dilapidated living conditions have enraged Republicans
and Democrats. They are worried that problems there point to a broader pattern
of neglect at military hospitals During the House Oversight and Government
Reform subcommittee hearing 5 MAR, two soldiers wounded in combat and a spouse
of a wounded soldier recounted nightmarish stories of frustration as they tried
to get medical attention and disability compensation. "I'm afraid this is
just the tip of the iceberg, that, when we [get] out into the field, we may
find more of this," said Rep. Tom Davis [R-VA] a member of the
committee. On 6 MAR, President Bush
named former Sen. Bob Dole and former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna
Shalala, the University of Miami president, to lead the administration’s
investigation into the Walter Reed scandal. They have a long year ahead. The
government’s failure of veterans goes far beyond the Washington hospital. [Source: Palm Beach Post.com 7 Mar 07 ++]
MEDICARE
RATES 2008: The Congressional Budget
Office (CBO) estimates that Medicare spending in 2007 will rise ten times
faster, by 15% this year. Part B premium rates are supposed to be set to match
such program costs. However, in recent
years Congress has routinely enacted legislation that substantially affects
program costs after the premium rates for the year have been set. This ongoing problem has made it very
difficult to achieve adequate levels of funding for Part B. The 2006 Medicare Trustees Report on pages 22
and 23 describes this in detail www.cms.hhs.gov/ReportsTrustFunds/. Last year in May, and again in July, Medicare
Trustees estimated the Part B premium for 2007 would be $98.20. The actual base premium announced in
September was $93.50, or $4.70 less per month.
One reason cited for the lower premium was lower payments to
physicians. However, before adjourning
for 2006, Congress increased reimbursements to physicians and certain other
providers, affecting costs for 2007 after the September announcement of the
2007 premiums. In their 2006 report the
Medicare Trustees forecast that correcting Part B’s deficit would require an
11% increase in the 2007 premium. The
Trustees further said that should legislative changes block pending physician
reimbursement reductions (which they did), the premium increase would need to
be even larger.
Instead of 11%, however, the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services announced a premium increase of only 5%. Based
on this, this analysis assumes there is a 6% unaccounted for premium increase
is still pending. Part B premiums have
increased on average about 11.6% annually over the past five years. When the unaccounted for 6% premium increase
is added to the 11.6% average Part B premium increase, a premium increase of at
least 17% would appear to be required in 2008.
Accordingly, the base Part B premium for 2008 could increase $15.90 to
$109.40 per month. Average benefits in
2007 are $1044. The most recent CBO
budget and economic report forecast that annual Cost-Of-Living Adjustments
(COLAs) for Social Security recipients will increase by just 1.5% percent in
2008. A 1.5% COLA would increase the average increased benefit in 2008 by
$15.70 per month. However, if Part B
premiums increase $15.90, the entire COLA would be needed to help pay the
increase in premiums. The net result of
this is that as many half of Medicare beneficiaries would effectively not
receive any increase to compensate for any increase in their out of pocket
medical costs since the entire COLA increase would go to premium payment. [Source: TREA Senior Seniors League 6 Feb 07
report ++]
VA DATA
BREACH UPDATE 31: The Veterans Affairs
Department needs a culture change to reverse long-standing information security
weaknesses and to comply with a wide range of policies and federal laws in this
area, congressional and agency auditors said 28 FEB. If the VA is moving toward the “gold
standard” for information security as stated by department secretary James
Nicholson, the department is in the early stages, said Greg Wilshusen,
director for information security issues at the Government Accountability
Office (GAO). Wilshusen testified at a House
Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation hearing. The latest VA data breach entailed the loss
of highly sensitive information on the 1.3 million physicians both living and
deceased who have billed Medicaid and Medicare. That could lead to widespread
fraud and places medical data for about 535,000 VA patients at risk. Maureen
Regan, counselor to the VA inspector general, said at the hearing that the
agency continues to have weaknesses in its information security. Policies
implemented by the department following a May 2006 incident that jeopardized
26.5 million people’s personal information were a step in the right direction,
but more needs to be done, she said.
VA Deputy Secretary Gordon Mansfield said
last year’s incident, where the information was stored on computer equipment
stolen from an agency employee’s home and recovered later, was a wake-up call.
VA still has a long way to go, he added.
“I will be the first to acknowledge that we have not finished that,”
Mansfield said. “I sincerely wish I could promise you that no other incidents
would occur. I cannot do that. But I can promise that we are working hard to
get the message out to our employees that we are doing everything we can to get
this problem under control.” Mansfield said the department still has a
decentralized nonstandard IT system, making it impossible to implement “any
simple fixes.” He said he could not predict a final date when the department’s
systems will be secure. “It is not a
question of technology or machines or software,” Mansfield said. “It’s a
question of people. And we’re dealing with 240,000 employees.” A lack of senior
personnel slots in IT keeps the department from being able to attract the
people it needs, he said.
Robert Howard, the VA’s chief information
officer, said the department was closing in on a chief information security
officer to replace Pedro Cadenas, who left abruptly
last summer. But the candidate selected decided to take another job days before
she was supposed to start. He said the department must start the hiring process
all over again. There have been hundreds
of violations of the department’s information security policies and employees
have been dismissed for the indiscretions, Mansfield said. In the most recent
case, an employee violated the rules by failing to encrypt information on a
hard drive and taking it off VA premises without permission from his
supervisor, he said. [Source:
GOVEXEC.com DailyBriefing Daniel Pulliam article 28 Feb 07 ++]
ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEE UPDATE 01: On 1 MAR,
the House Armed Services Military Personnel Subcommittee held a special hearing
to get inputs from associations representing military beneficiaries. Subcommittee Chairman Vic Snyder (D-AR) and
Ranking Minority Member John McHugh (R-NY) indicated they wanted a separate
hearing for the subcommittee to focus solely on the inputs of these witnesses. Representatives from several other Military
Coalition member associations covered issues affecting active duty forces,
Guard and Reserve forces, family members, retired members and survivors, and
commissary/MWR programs. The witnesses' recommendations included:
- Opposing large DoD-proposed TRICARE fee
increases and improving access to TRICARE–participating doctors.
- Ending the deduction of VA disability
compensation and VA survivor benefits from earned military retired pay and
Survivor Benefit Plan annuities, respectively.
- Immediate implementation of 30-year,
paid-up SBP coverage.
- Full funding for Army and Marine Corps
manpower increases and grave concerns about personnel cuts for the Air Force
and Navy that are driven by budget considerations rather than military
requirements.
- Increasing the military pay raise to
continue progress toward restoring full military pay comparability with the
private sector.
- Implementation of a "Total Force GI
Bill" that eliminates severe inequities in current benefits for Guard and
Reserve war veterans.
- Protections to ensure sustainment
of support facilities for families at closing bases and availability of needed
housing, education, child care and other facility upgrades before adding large
populations to gaining bases.
- Correction of inequities in division of
military retired pay with former spouses under the Uniformed Services Former
Spouses’ Protection Act (USFSPA).
Refer to
http://www.moaa.org/lac/lac_resources/SiteObjects/published/FDC35966F5EE4F6AB7E0CDF75D58D9CE/CF2C938A302847B4C006BC0C37F6AE03/file/hasc_executive_testimony_070301.pdf
for an executive summary of the Coalition’s recommendations to the
subcommittee. [Source: MOAA Leg Up 2 Mar
07 ++]
VA
BUDGET 2008 UPDATE 05: Democrats who
control the House and Senate veterans’ affairs committees have rejected the
Bush administration’s call for new enrollment fees and higher drug co-payments
for some veterans and have proposed bigger budgets for health care. In the
Senate, Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the veterans’ committee chairman, and his
fellow Democrats are asking for a $2.9 billion increase over the Bush budget
proposal for the Department of Veterans Affairs, specifically for medical care
and $4.8 billion higher than the current level. This proposed funding for
veterans health care is also above that recommended by the DAV and other
veterans service organizations in their annual Independent Budget. The Bush
administration had requested $39.4 billion for the VA for non-benefits items,
including $34.6 billion for health care-related costs. “We believe that this is
the amount necessary to treat all eligible veterans and maintain the quality of
VA medical services through the upcoming fiscal year.” Akaka said in a
statement. Specifically, Democrats and Sen. Bernard Sanders (I-VT) who also
serves on the Senate committee, have asked for an additional $300 million for
treatment of traumatic brain injuries, $357 million specifically for the health
care of Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans, and $693 million more for mental
health programs.
In the House, Bob Filner (D-CA) the
veterans’ committee chairman, and his Democratic colleagues are recommending a
$1.3 billion increase in the 2008 veterans’ health care budget, and also are
asking for $5 billion for veterans’ programs to be put into the 2007 wartime
supplemental funding bill. Filner said in an interview that the $3 billion
would be to pay for a post-traumatic stress disorder initiative, $1 billion
would be for traumatic brain injury and polytrauma
care, $500 million would be to try to eliminate once and for all the backlog of
pending benefits claims and $500 million would be to pay for GI Bill
improvements. House Democratic leaders have not signed off on putting $5
billion for veterans in the supplemental appropriations bill, but in a 1 MAR
letter, Filner told them this should be a priority. Filner wrote, “I believe
that a storm is brewing across the country, a storm of discontent regarding our
treatment of veterans, and we must act now and act quickly”. In an interview,
Filner said his appeal is simple: If we can fund the war, we must fund the
warriors. Democrats on both committees have rejected Bush administration
proposals to increase out-of-pocket costs for priority seven and eight
veterans, those with moderate incomes who do not have service-connected
disabilities.
One rejected proposal would have increased the current $8 charge for prescription drugs to $15. A second proposal involved charging enrollment fees of as high as $750 a year, based on family income. The funding requests are being made in letters to the House and Senate budget committees, which are required to draw up an overall federal spending plan. The budget committees are supposed to prepare budget plans for approval by 15 APR, although that deadline is rarely met. Filner said he knows that the $1.3 billion increase in medical care spending is less than the amount sought by veterans’ service organizations, but Democratic